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| Bukola Saraki |
Prosecution Witness at the trial of the
Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, before the Code of Conduct
Tribunal sitting in Abuja Tuesday admitted that some of the exhibits he
tendered before the tribunal were not investigated by him nor his team.
The witness, Micheal Wetkas, who is an
investigator with the EFCC while being cross examined by the defense
counsel, Kanu Agabi SAN, admitted that he did not investigate the
petitions listed as Exhibits 11, 12 and 13 which formed the basis of
prosecuting Saraki.
The defence had presented the exhibits to him and consequently questioned him on them.
Wetkas said that the petitions in the three exhibits were not investigated by him.
Exhibit 11 which was dated May 22, 2012
contained a petition written by Kwara Freedom Network inviting the EFCC
to investigate the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board. The witness had while giving evidence in
chief told the tribunal that the petition by the Kwara Freedom Network
propelled their investigation. He however turned around during cross examination to say that his team did not investigate the petition.
Exhibit 12 which was dated May 7, 2011
was addressed to the Chairman of the EFCC asking the anti graft agency
to investigate the Kwara state government on borrowings for projects
described as phoney.
Exhibit 13 was a petition dated June 7,
2012 which was about mismanagement of local government revenue in Kwara
state between 2003 and 2011.
When asked whether in the course of
investigation, he had audience with the Accountant General of Kwara
state, the witness said he did not as that was not part of his
assignment.
Also asked whether he invited any
official of Kwara state government in the course of investigation, the
witness also said he did not.
Asked whether he got another written
document to butress the petition written by Kwara Freedom Network, the
witness said he did not.
When further asked why he tendered
documents he did not investigate the witness said he did not tender the
exhibits on his own but were tendered through him by the prosecution.
Also under cross examination, the
witness admitted that investigating the assets declaration of the
defendant did not form part of his schedule of duty.
He also admitted that exhibits 3, 4 and 5
which were assets declaration forms of the defendant were duly examined
and stamped by the Code of Conduct Bureau and not the EFCC which
employed him.
He added that there was no where in the petition he investigated where Saraki’s asset declaration was in contention.
He further added that the investigation
of the defendant was based on intelligence report obtained by the former
Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde and not the three petitions
tendered as exhibits.
In specific terms, the witness stated
that the six assets declaration forms submitted by Saraki to the CCB
were never investigated by his team.
He however stated that his team was directed to investigate the intelligence report alone.
Further hearing continues today.
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